Fire Ignition, Suppression and Impact (FISI)

The Fire Ignition, Suppression, and Impact Project (FISI) represent an important step forward in the development of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS). These indices are designed to enhance decision-making and targeted communication, offering fire and land management agencies the tools to make more informed decisions.

• They build on ongoing advancements to:
• Enable iterative improvements based on user feedback
• Incorporate new science and data sources
• Better characterise a broader range of scenarios

Extensive collaboration with fire and land managers showed stakeholders wanted additional data to improve fire-related decisions. Preferred products included flammability, suppression, and impact indices and specific data layers such as near real-time lightning strikes, response times, valued asset locations. Fire Ignition, Suppression and Impact priorities identified during Stakeholder workshops across Australia during 2025.

Utilities Sector Engagement Project (USEP)

Following the initial implementation if the AFDRS and the first fire season review, this project addressed the regulatory and operational impacts of AFDRS on utilities sector stakeholders by identifying strengths, opportunities for improvement, and sector-specific challenges. The project seeks to enhance decision-making, improve information accessibility, and foster a nationally coordinated approach to integrating AFDRS into utilities sector policies and operations, ultimately reducing business disruption and strengthening fire risk management across the sector.

Photo credits: NSW Rural Fire Service